John j



(No Model.)

J. J-. BRINKERHOPF.

- BARB FOR FENCES. No. 267,485. Patented Nov. 14, 1 882.

Win/66868. 4 f I Iwveizior Jbiuz Jfirinzerfi Nrrnn STATES PATENT Prion.

JOHN J. BRINKERHOFF, OF AUBURN, NEW YORK.

BARB FOR FENCES.

' SPECIFICATION forming part Application filed August 23, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN J. BRINKERHOFF, a citizen of the United States, residing at Auburn, in the county of Cayuga and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Barbs for Fences, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a sheet-metal barb for a fence-wire; and it consists in certain fea-' tures hereinafter described, and specifically set forth in the claims.

Figures 1 and 2 represent barb-blanks constructed in accordance with my invention. Figs. 3 and 4 are perspectives of said blanks in the form they assume when secured to a strandor rail, and Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate the barb in the position it assumes to form abarbed fence.

Like letters refer to like parts in all the figures.

The object of my invention is to provide barb-blanks which can be cut from a sheet or strip of metal with as little waste of material as possible, and which, when attached to a strand or rail, will be securely held thereon, and which, by reason of the relative location and proportion of the several parts of the blank, will readily assume the desired form in the act of securing the same, as hereinafter described.

The blank consists essentially of four barbs, B O D E, located adjacent to each other, their bases forming the body portion A thereof, the two interior barbs, (J and D, merging at their ends,andtheexteriorbarbs,B andE,mergingat theirsides with each other to form said body portion, which, when applied to the strand or rail, forms the bearing-surface of the blank thereon, which blank further consists in or is provided with a lip or extension, a,'formed upon the base of one of the exterior barbs by slitting the blank on the line 1. The barbs and D, when formed on the blank which is the subject of this invention, project in opposite directions, while the barbs B and E may project in like or opposite directions. It will readily be seen that when applied to the strand the barbs B and E are forced in opposite directions in the act of compressing or bending their bases upon the wire, and that such application of force is counteracting in its nature, and therefore tends to retain the strand in a true line during the operation, and to insure a firm seating orattachment of the barb, as

Well as a regularity in the finished product,

and that no manipulation of thevbarbs G and D is necessary to insure their projection at right angles to the barbs B and E-points of advantage having essential value in the mechanieal production of barbed fencing. If desired, however,the conformation of the barbs G and D to any adjacent strand or strands of a rail may be accomplished without materially altering their angle of projection; but in no case is it essential that either of these barbs be coiled or bent about the strand, as the function'of retaining the blank from either a longitudinal or a rotary movement upon the strand is performed by its being embraced by the bases of the coils B and E, the former being provided with a lip, a, to enable it to surround the wire without taking up any considerable portion of its length. When applied to a rail of two or more strands, as F G, the barbs B and E may either or both pass between the strands, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, and thus prevent said rotary motion of the blank thereon,and the barb D or C may be crimped or-bent to conform to its adjacent strand, if desired. I

By comparing Figs. 5 and 6 it will be noticed that I may apply the blank to a strand or rail wire in such a manner B and E may pass upon one and the same side of a single wire or strand, or upon opposite sides of the same, and that in cases where the rail consists of two or more strands said barbs may either or both pass between the strands, and this disposition of the barbs may be accomplished by the application of forcein opposite directions, as before mentioned, and by a proper government of the subsequent twisting of the strands.

Having thus described claim is- 1. A blank for a fence-barb, comprising two interior oppositely-disposed barbs and two exterior barbs, one of which is provided with a lip or extension, and all of which are merged my invention, what I that the barbs to form a central bearing or body portion, snb- In testimony whereofl have hereunto set my stantially as shown and described. hand in the presence of two subscribing Wit- :0

2. The combination of a strand or rail wire nesses. with a barb-blank provided with two oppo- V 7 1 5 sitely-disposed straight barbs and two end JOHN LLINKERHOFI" barbs bent about the strand or rail and point- YVitnesses: ing' in opposite directions substantially as JOSEPH (J. ANDERSON,

J AS. A. STOUG-HTON.

shown and described. 

